Walk by Faith
by Heaven's Wordsmith
Summary: Short stories centered on Jesus Christ with lessons and morals. Please read and review!
1. Do Something

Blue walked silently to her school. The cool morning breeze blew her red hair in her eyes and on her face, making things hard to see. Her blue eyes were clouded with sadness and mind filled with thoughts about the world around her. Her kind heart just couldn't bare the thought of innocent people suffering and justice never being served. She looked up to the early morning sky, still red with the sun slowly climbing past the clouds. She stopped where she was walking. The corner that she stood at was empty and no cars were to be seen at the stop sign or coming from either side. "Why do you let this happen?" She whispered prayerfully to God. "I thought You were good, but how can You be good when the world around me is falling apart?" She shifted her gaze to the house that stood across the street. It was a single story house with a nice, neat garden that lined the front porch and a beautiful deck sat behind it. "Why don't You just fix everything?" She sighed. Blue gave the house one last glance and headed on, walking to her school with lagging strides. _Why don't you do anything?_ Blue stopped at the sidewalk on the other side of the road. _Why don't you do anything?_ A soft whisper echoed in her heart. "Me?" Blue asked aloud, knowing God was speaking to her. "Well..."

 _Why don't you do something?_ Blue's mouth gaped open. She glanced back up at heaven. "I'm too young and too insignificant, how could i ever do anything to help this world?" The question still echoed inside of her, like a deep conviction; she knew what God was telling her. "Forgive me Lord, I see now that if I don't do anything to help, why should i expect You to help?"

 _I have helped,_ the whisper came back. _I created you._

Moral of the story: don't "judge" God for the problems in the world that He doesn't seem to be fixing because He might have created you to fix those things!

Based off the Matthew West song "Do Something" (which I do not own)

Hey there! This is obviously very different compared to Clockwork Angel, but i decided to start this new story which will just be a collection of short stories focusing on different things God has shown me and that I have learned from Him, and I finally have a story for my OC Blue! (Thats the Jesus freak Blue of course!) Each of these stories will be based off of something I've learned or based off a Christian song or Bible verse/passage or other Christ-centered things that I think people will be able to learn and benefit from. I will be posting every Sunday. God bless and I hope you enjoy!


	2. Matthew 7:1-5

Blue sat, laughing with her friends at lunch. Her small group of friends were the people she did everything with. They were very close and even though they didn't share all the same classes, they still made time after school to get together and talk about what's been happening with them. "You know," Carly, the girl who sat to the left of Blue with the blonde hair and deep brown eyes, began. "I can't believe that Kelsey did what she did. I can't stand her any more, the way she totally ditched Mckenzie and told her she didn't want to be friends again, it was so stupid. She was wrong for that and look at her now, sits all alone at lunch without Mckenzie. She deserves it."

"Yeah, they were so close! I can't believe she would just walk away from her best friend and never want to talk again." Hannah, the girl who sat in front of Blue agreed. Blue rose an eyebrow. _But she said there were so many problems with them, and things Mckenzie had done to her_ , Blue thought, remembering the conversation she'd had with a crying Kelsey the day before she ended her friendship with Mckenzie.

"She never helps me," Kelsey sobbed. "If there's something wrong, she'll just ignore what I tell her, even if someone had died, just completely move on to another topic. Whenever she's upset, I sit down and talk it out with her. She can't repay my kindness with her own and she makes me feel so stupid sometimes." Blue put her hand on Kelsey's shoulder with care. Her blue eyes nearly pouring over themselves. "I'm sorry." She said, not knowing what to tell her friend. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to end the relationship," Kelsey decided. "I'm tired of being angry and upset, I'm done." She said confidently even though her voice was quivering from the tears. Blue was brought back to the present, her friends still bashing Kelsey. "Mckenzie never needed that jerk, she can just come and join us," Hannah said. "We'll welcome her right in."

"But," Blue objected softly, a little nervous about what she wanted to say.

"What?" Carly asked.

"What if Kelsey had a good reason for doing it?" Blue offered, trying to avoid the fact that she had talked to Kelsey. "I mean, why else would she completely leave her best friend behind? You know Kelsey, her friends are her life, it doesn't add up to me."

"Oh, I never thought about that," Hannah said. "Well what would the reason be then?"

"Well," Blue shrugged. "A number of things, Mckenzie could've said something or done something to hurt Kelsey."

"Oh," Carly said, feeling convicted. "I guess."

"I don't think we should judge her for that decision, we don't know what all happened to the two of them and we certainly don't know what was going through Kelsey's mind." Blue stated confidently.

"Yeah, you're right, I'm sorry, let's talk about something else, anyone want to go to the Mercyme concert tonight?" Carly said excitedly changing the subject. "I've got tickets!"

Moral: Don't judge people- at all. Jesus told us not to judge because in the way we judge others, we too will be judged. He also said that we should judge righteously and I believe He meant this about our decisions and what we choose to do throughout our lives. Anyways, we shouldn't judge people, period. It doesn't matter if they did something absolutely horrible like steal or cheat or if they look or dress a certain way. I guarantee you'll always find a why behind what they did. It's always important to remember that if you wouldn't want them to judge you, you shouldn't judge them.

This is just something God has been showing to me a lot lately. I, being very awkward and socially anxious, worry about people judging me 24/7. Even at church, my mind wanders off and I begin worrying "are they judging me?" "Should I raise my hands in worship or will people judge me for it?" "Does everyone still have their heads bowed or do I look like an idiot?" God has been showing me how alike we humans are. Even though there are so many different things about us- different races, religions, social lives, friends, personalities- there are a few things we humans all have in common. One of those is pain. We all face pain in life and that can affect your decisions and your life. Another is that we're all capable of the same things. Some people say "I would never steal!" "I would never kill!" "I would never cheat!" But what they don't realize is that if they were in the same position as the person who did, they probably would have made the same decision. This even goes back to the Garden of Eden. If Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, we would too. It's just the way we are. So don't judge, we're all human and all would make the same decisions. God bless.


	3. The Search For Fulfillment Part 1

Blake closed his laptop bitterly. He'd played Pirate101 for hours by now and it didn't seem to satisfy him. He always felt this way after playing or doing anything really, and he didn't know why. He tried everything to void he felt inside, but no matter what he tried, the results were all the same. Make the highest grades in school, feel empty; accomplish all he could in his favorite video games, feel empty; hang out with the "cool crowd", feel empty. He couldn't escape his emptiness. Blake's bitterness grew as he sat there, thinking. _I work hard in school and it doesn't fulfill, I completely beat entire games and bosses that are near impossible and still nothing_ , he thought. _I don't know what to do I've tried nearly everything._ He sighed, grabbing his laptop and heading up to the second floor of his house. He walked straight into his room. Nothingness still lingered in his heart as he say his lap top on his desk. He looked around his room, painted dark blue and covered in band posters and video game posters. He held his gaze at a single spot. On his night stand sat a dusty book- a Bible. A thought crossed his mind for a split second before he dismissed it, faithlessly. _What if God fills the emptiness?_ He shook the thought away and left his room, still completely empty and hollow.

Moral: this world will never fill you, no matter what you do, it will always leave you empty and blind you to the true source of fulfilment, Jesus Christ

hey guys! I know this is really short, but this story is only the first part to a three part trilogy following Blake's search for fulfilment. This is actually inspired by a 3-part animation trilogy by an awesome Youtuber who's channel name is Full Of Eyes. It is based off his "Supremacy of Christ" trilogy. If you have never seen his videos before, I totally recommend that you check them out. His animations are so moving that they might even change your life. They are epic! Also thank you so much for all the reviews I have received so far. They mean a lot! And there are a lot more short stories to come. God bless!


	4. Accusations

Blue walked into math class with her friend, Kelsey who had recently become the talk of the school, judged by all because of the decision she made, leaving behind her popular seemingly best friend, Mckenzie. However, it wasn't over just yet; Mckenzie and Kelsey shared almost all of their classes together, including math. "It's ok," Blue coaxed her, sensing anxiety in her friend. "Sit with me today, I don't think will care." Kelsey nodded.

"Ok." She followed Blue and sat at the table with her. She breathed out a heavy sigh. Kelsey looked back at the door to the room and saw Mckenzie enter through, scowling at her with disgust. She grinned evilly as she took a seat right behind Kelsey. Kelsey began to sweat nervously. Blue looked at her with comforting, knowing blue eyes. "Don't worry, pretend she isn't there," she whispered.

"I'm trying," Kelsey whispered back.

"Hey, Blue," Mckenzie said, getting Blue's attention. She turned.

"Hi," she greeted politely and turned back around. Mckenzie moved closer to her, sitting down right beside her.

"Kelsey doesn't even like you," Mckenzie lied. "In fact she told me she hated you once."

"That's a lie!" Kelsey said, looking at Blue pleadingly.

"Kelsey has always despised you and wanted to see you fail. She acts like she's your friend, but she's really your enemy. And she hates religion." Blue turned her gaze to Mckenzie and glared at her.

"Stop lying Mckenzie, that isn't right."

"You're one to speak, Blue. Remember that time you lied to the teacher in third grade and got away with not doing your homework." Mckenzie accused her. "That's pretty hypocritical, I guess you aren't as Christ-like as they say you are." Blue's mouth gaped open. walked in and the bell rang.

"Alright class, pull out your warm up books and turn to page fifty two." She instructed. Mckenzie moved back to the table behind them and Blue obeyed, stunned. _I am a hypocrite,_ she thought. _Does that mean I'm not qualified to witness? My sins have been erased, but does it still make me a hypocrite?_

Moral: I went through a time when I was faced with similar thoughts and even a similar situation. My former friend, who I wrote the poem in chapter 2 about, caught me in a hypocritical statement that I had made once. I knew, long before she accused me of hypocrisy, that I was hypocrite. It's a hard thing to escape. Those same thoughts had crossed my mind; am I qualified to witness, to tell others about Jesus? The answer is, and always will be, no. No one is qualified to spread the Gospel because we are all sinners and are all in need of forgiveness. Jesus says we are qualified even though we aren't qualified because in His eyes, we are forgiven. Hypocrisy is just like sin; once we are forgiven, it no longer has a grip on us no matter what other people think. Another thing, only an enemy would accuse you. A friend corrects, but an enemy accuses. No matter what accusations are thrown at you, remember that you are washed in the blood of Christ and are like a sheep, completely innocent in His eyes.


	5. Belonging and fitting in

Kelsey watched the other girls in her science class. They were the popular girls, the crowd she once thought she belonged to. They all seemed to get the same classes together, always sat together, always did everything together, but most of all, they seemed to belong and fit in. Kelsey always felt odd, like she didn't belong. She used to think that she fit in, but ever since she left Mckenzie behind, she felt like she didn't after all. She watched them talk, wanting to know what it means to be belong, to actually fit in. It was something she couldn't understand. She looked around the class room, everyone else was talking and doing their warm up. She was even different that no one talked to her at the table she sat at unless they had to. She stood out. She was different and she didn't know if that was a good thing or not. She pushed the thoughts back and got to work as the bell rang and her teacher entered the room.

Moral: no one belongs. We all think that there are some people who seem to belong and fit in, but it's really all an act; they're as lost as we are! Truly, in life none of us fits in or belongs and this is a good thing. Even unbelievers feel like they don't belong, the only thing is that for a believer, we know why. We belong to God, not the world and even though unbelievers do technically belong to the world, the world leaves them so dry and empty that they feel like they don't. We belong to God, so we don't have to fit in and we honestly shouldn't. Don't conform to the ways of the world- it says it in the Bible.

Hey guys! I know this was super short, but my point was made in this extremely short little story. There is much more to come. Happy writing and God bless!


	6. Blue's Confessions

I am Blue

But I'm not the person you think I am

And this is true

I sin just like everyone else

I seem to be perfect, without flaw

No sin or stain

A Good citizen following the law

Some one who is holier than you'll ever be

But I wont shove that in your face

I'm just that holy or so I seem

I seem perfect; I don't need anyone to plead my case

And that's because I don't have one

I'm not perfect, not without sin

I don't know what made you think I was perfect

Sin flows like blood under my skin

Deep in my heart and in my mind

I wish I were perfect without sin

But I'm not

So here I go again

I'm a sinner, I need grace

The truth is that I sin

It's a sad fact

That I do it over and over again

It's so hard to stop

Thats why I need God

I need Him, but He doesn't need me

And unbelievers find this odd

But I need Him every day

Amazing Grace

Took my sin

And left not even a trace

Washed me white

Jesus is my life

He took all my evil

And removed the pain and strife

He is my savior

He's the only reason

You think I'm holy

He's the only reason

I am who I am today

He changed me

Made me new

I don't have to be

Who I used to be

I'm not perfect

I sin

But Jesus says I'm worth it

To die for

Moral: I wrote because a couple days ago, I was thinking about how people sometimes tell me that I'm perfect. Yeah, I'm one of those who seems to be perfect and have a perfect life on the outside. Well, it's just not true. I feel a little bad that they think that, but I do admit to sinning when I sin, so they have no reason to believe I am. I wrote this simply to make it clear: I, just like everyone else am a sinner in need of grace. I'm even pretty hypocritical at times, but who isn't? There's an awesome poet on Youtube who also wrote a poem on this idea and I totally recommend his poems. His name is Clayton Jennings and his poem "My Confessions" absolutely captures the essence of "I'm not perfect." I love this poem so much. Y'all should check it out! God bless and happy writing!


	7. The Search for Fulfillment Part 2

Blake sat down at the dinner table and quietly began to eat his food. It was funny to him how food could fill him up so quickly, but that he would still feel empty in the end. _Is this what life is supposed to be like?_ He wondered. _Or am I missing out on something better?_ His mother bowed her head after sitting down in front of him and prayed. His family was odd that way; they didn't pray together, but separately at the same table. When she was done, she looked up at Blake. "Blake, sweetie, We're going to church tomorrow, Emily really wanted to and I don't have anyone to watch you since your father is gone on a job, so you have to come, too."

"Why?" He asked, unhappy. "I don't want to go."

"It'll be good for us, I haven't seen you pray or read your Bible in the longest. I think if anyone should go then it should be you." Blake scowled at her and ate in silence as Emily, his little sister, joined them.

Blake knew church would be a drag. He didn't think it would be worth his time at all. He woke up and put on his casual school clothes and headed out as his mom and sister finished putting on their nice clothes and make up and prettying up. When they arrived, the church wasn't too crowded. The pastor always seemed to have a nice, decent sized crowd gathered, not too many people and not too few. Blake took a seat next to his mom and sister and when church began, nearly fell asleep. "Welcome to Meadow Springs Baptist Church, I'm so thankful you all made it here today, it's by God's grace and God's grace alone that we are able to gather here." The pastor began. "Now let me ask a question, how many of you have ever done something and in the end just felt empty afterward? Can I see some hands?" Almost the entire congregation seemed to raise their hands. Blake did it, but only to play along. _This is stupid, what? Is he going to give me the answer I'm looking for?_ He smirked doubtfully. "I have been there too," the pastor admitted. "I have been there so many times, looking for something to just fill me up, but nothing ever satisfied. That is, until I met Jesus." Blake rolled his eyes. "He filled me up and satisfied my soul and I know there are probably a few scoffers out there thinking that it wouldn't work, but if you just give Him a chance, just a chance I promise He will." _Ok then,_ Blake thought, scoffingly. _Just give Jesus a chance, sure._ Even though he doubted that it would work, he began to pray silently. _I don't think this will work, but Jesus, show me who You are and satisfy my soul. If you can do it, please do it for me._ Blake turned his attention back to the pastor who had began reading from the book of John. "'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life' not only does this promise life, but eternal life and I believe that when Jesus tells us this, He also implies that we will be satisfied for all eternity, it won't be like life on earth, but a satisfied life free of pain." Blake sighed. _I guess that makes sense_. After the service, they headed home and Blake began to read his Bible. He never thought anything about reading it, but maybe the pastor was on to something. He flipped through to the book of Matthew and began to read. Hours later, he couldn't put his Bible down. _What kind of a God is this?_ He wondered. _Coming down to earth and dying to save us, why would He do that for us?_ With his questioning thoughts and studying came the first feelings of fulfillment and he knew it from the start. God could satisfy his soul.

Moral: God is the only thing that can satisfy our souls. One of the greatest problems off today is that we don't see how He could and many people miss the most important thing in life; fulfilling faith. That is why Jesus tells us to spread the word because even though we're satisfied, there are people who aren't and who are searching for it.

This is part two to the three part storyline based off of Full of Eyes' Supremacy of Jesus Christ trilogy animation on Youtube. I randomly found his animations and fell in love with them, if you haven't seen them, then totally recommend looking them up, they're truly God breathed. They are a huge blessing. God bless!


	8. Jesus, Our Truest Best Friend

Hope wasn't popular, but she wasn't a nobody, either. She had a good amount of friends that she spent a lot of time with. They would usually go out into the fields near her house and just hang around for about an hour or five. Since it was Summer and they had nothing else to do, it kept them busy. However, Hope started noticing lately that her friends were starting to ditch her. She would call to see if they could hang out, as Michelle, her best friend, had promised, but no such luck. Michelle had found a new friend and Jamie and Sally followed her lead, taking to this new friend and leaving Hope behind. There she sat, all alone against her favorite pine tree in the open field out in the hot summer sun. She sighed with boredom, watching cars drive by in the distant slope that went downhill. Did they replace me? She wondered as she watched the cars. Would they really ditch me like that? "Are you alright?" Hope turned, jumping at the sound of a man's voice. She looked up at the man who had spoke to her. He was dressed oddly; a white robe that draped down to his feet and a violet sash that hung from shoulder to hip. His hair was short and brown and his eyes a deep, kind green.

"Uh, yeah," she lied. The man looked familiar to her, but she couldn't figure out where she'd seen him before. She turned her gaze back to the road, awkwardly.

"Are you sure?" He asked. "Don't you usually come up here with a group of friends? Where are they?" Hope turned to look at the man. Who was he? How did he know about her and her friends? Was he stalking them? What about that odd robe he wore?

"They couldn't come today, they're hanging out with another friend today." Hope replied honestly, trying to avoid the fact that she was hurt and jealous.

"I'm sorry about that," he took a seat next to her. "I understand how that feels." Hope's eyes widened with realization.

"Jesus?" She looked at the man.

"Yes," he nodded. "Do you remember how close we were, Hope? You spent hours upon hours simply praying to me, but you grew older and haven't prayed to me in days, now. What happened? Why did you leave me behind?" He asked sadly, even though Hope knew he knew the answer.

"I-I'm sorry Jesus, it's just that i have new friends now and I don't have as much time now as I used to. Please forgive me," she answered, feeling guilty.

"You are forgiven. Maybe you should make time, you have time now, can we start again?"

"Yes, Jesus, we can!" Hope answered excitedly and she began to pray.

Moral: Jesus is our friend as well as our God and savior and Lord. We often times leave Him behind just as we would a friend. In this story, Hope is being left behind and without realizing it, leaving Jesus behind. The incredible thing is that He never leaves you. Even though we sometimes forget about Him or forget to pray, He is always there right beside us; He is a true best friend.

 **Hey guys! I know this is different from the way I've been writing and I will right more stories like this, but I actually wrote this a little while back and found it and read it and thought that it really fits how I've been feeling lately. I feel like I've been doing what Hope was doing; leaving Jesus behind and drifting from Him. It's a terrible thing and I really hope to grow closer to Him again as I was super close to Him before. Another thing, Jesus is really the only true friend we have. Sure, we have friends who are good and are kind and have the fruits of the spirit and all, but they can't always be there for you or understand what you're going through, but Jesus can. By our own limitations, we cannot be the true friend that Jesus is. God bless and happy writing!**


	9. The Search for Fulfillment Part 3

Blake opened his Bible joyfully. It has been months since the first church visit that had changed his life and now he was absolutely in love with the Bible and every word that came straight from the lips of God. It satisfied him and made his soul complete. He laughed at the memory of him sitting in that church thinking that Jesus could never fill the void in his heart and now he knew how hopeless that seemed. He knew Jesus was the only way to fulfillment and now nothing else compared to the feeling he got while worshipping God or reading His word. It was indescribable and nothing apart from God could ever be enough to satisfy him. He turned to the book of Psalms which he was currently studying and turned to chapter 23. The entire Psalm highlighted exactly how he felt.

1 The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

3 He restores my soul;

He guides me in the path of righteousness

For His name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley

Of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me

5 You prepare a table before me in the

Presence of my enemies;

You have anointed my head with oil;

My cup overflows

6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will

Follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. ( from the NASB)

Moral: God is the only thing that will ever be enough to satisfy your soul! I can't tell you how overwhelmingly true this is. I have thought that things would make me happy or make me feel complete, but as soon as I got those things, I was just left feeling empty. God is and always be the only thing that makes you feel complete.

This is the final part to the "Search for Fulfillment" and the song in part 3 of "The Supremacy of Jesus Christ" trilogy by Full of Eyes fits this lesson so well and it is absolutely beautiful. It is called "All I Want is You" and it is by Matt Papa. Some of the lyrics are:

"This life is just a vapor,

I have but one pursuit

This life is not enough for me

All I want is you"

Another really good song that fits really well with this lesson is "Everything" by Lifehouse and a church actually created an amazingly beautiful skit for this song and it's called the Everything skit. I nearly cried watching it, I totally recommend looking it up and looking up "All I Want is You" both amazing songs. God Bless!


	10. Jeremiah 29:11

Blue's worry dispersed almost immediately as she prayed. Her hands folded passionately together and the words of her plea coming out in thankful, hopeful gasps. She knew she could trust God with this situation, this worry some situation she was stuck in. Her parents had both lost their jobs and she was unsure how they were going to pay for everything they needed- groceries, bills, other necessities. To make matters worse, their house needed a number of renovations that could be harmful to the foundation if they weren't fixed. Blue always tried her best to not worry, to keep smiling and look at the brighter side of things, but this was different. Her parents had never been let go, laid off, or fired before, this was a first. Blue took a deep breath. "Lord Jesus, I need You now," she whispered prayerfully, with her head bowed and eyes closed. "I'm so worried about how we're going to get by with my parents both unemployed now, what will we do?" Then, as if to answer her prayer, she remembered Jeremiah 29:11. "For You know the plans You have for me, Lord, plans for prosperity and not to harm me, but to give me a future and a hope." She prayed. "Jesus, I trust You, do as You will, not as I." She continued praying throughout the day about anything and everything. Jesus seemed to comfort her in her times of need simply by being with her. There were times when she felt guilty because she spent more time with Him when bad things were happening, but she was thankful that at least she thought of Him first when anything went wrong. When she laid down at the end of the day, she continued her prayer. "Thank You, Father. I love it when I can feel Your presence so near, it comforts me so, but I know You'll take care of us. You always have by blessing my parents with good jobs and by blessing me with such hard-working parents. Thank You, Father, You are so good to us even though we don't deserve it."

Moral:

1) Blessings come in many forms. I know it seems odd to call some of the bad things in life a blessing, but the way I see it, they are just that! God uses bad situations to bring us closer to Him and if you ask me, that's the greatest thing He could do for us! I absolutely love being in His presence and closer to Him even through rough situations- He just makes it worth going through!

2) God WILL take care of you. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope." (NASB) what I find really amazing that I didn't know until just recently is that God told His people this during their exile to Babylon! God is basically telling them, "I know it looks bad, but trust Me, I'm doing this for your good." And honestly it's that same idea in every situation.


	11. Something To Say

Blue sat against the side of her bed on the carpeted floor of her room. Her heart ached as the thoughts continued to infiltrate her mind, clouding her once strong faith. She found it kind of funny that God chose this very moment to make it stormy outside, with clouds rolling in and threatening ti cover the sun, but surely that meant He did exist? "My God," she began to pray, closing her eyes and bowing her head. "Why can't I feel You near?" She felt the tears begin to swell in her eyes. "I've spent so much time growing close to You, reading my Bible, singing Your praises, and preaching Your name. I've experienced Your loving presence and have felt You so close. How is it that a single thought can rob me of the faith that once moved mountains? Are You real, my God? Have I been wrong this entire time?" She wanted to believe she wasn't wrong. She'd endured so much for the God she loved, but now she was wondering if it was all in vain. She was humiliated and made fun of by people who once claimed to be her friends, and she fought so many battles and God had always won her the victory. She'd been through so much, so how was it that doubt could cloud her mind so easily? "Where are You, my God?" She continued, choking up. "Why can't I feel You? I have something to say, it feels like You're slipping away and I can't find You anywhere. It feels like You found me, but now, somehow, I'm lost again, but I know that faith could mean there won't be any answers, and hope might mean enduring through the night. Please, help me not forget in the darkness, the things that I came to believe in light. Please, my God. You are my life." She finished. She opened her tear-filled, blue eyes and lifted her head to the window on the wall in front of her. Outside, the clouds were a dark indigo color, but somehow, they couldn't managed to cover the sun and seemed to just loom around its rays with hollow threats. They wouldn't be able to block out the light. Blue smiled at the thought. _No matter what the Son still shines, and I still have hope for tomorrow._

Moral: No matter what, never give up on God. This lesson is very important to me because when I was a younger Christian, I wanted to give up so bad. There were times that I seriously wondered if God was real or if Christianity was even for me. I still wondered sometimes if God is real, but the fact is that it is part of our Christian walk. Even John the Baptist doubted that Jesus was the Messiah. No matter what, you just need to keep fighting! Don't give the devil victory, he only seeks to lead you away from God and the only way that will happen is if you let him! Keep fighting the good fight, my brothers and sisters. Endure 'til the end.

This is based off the song "Something To Say" by Starfield. It is a beautiful song that talks about doubting God and one powerful line in the song helps me out whenever I'm doubting God or if I'm struggling with temptation. As simple as it is, it says this:

"Faith might mean there won't be answers,

And hope might mean enduring through the night.

Help me not forget in darkness

The things that I believed in light"

It is an absolutely beautiful song that is truly a blessing. Persevering has great rewards, just hold on until the end. God bless!

Also, do any of you have stories of how persevering or simply sticking close to your faith and to God has helped you? I would love to hear what God has done in other people's lives!


	12. The Love Of Jesus

Blue sat at a lunch table in the cafeteria of her school alone. The past month, her friends had all moved to a different lunch time after getting a few schedule changes and she was left all by herself. She was thankful, however, that God has made her such an independent person and that she didn't always have to have a friend to be happy. She ate her lunch while reading her Bible. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a student sit down beside her and she turned and looked up at them. She didn't recognize them and confusion began to settle in. "Hi," the student greeted her, an uncertain look on her face. Blue smiled politely.

"Hi."

"I um, my name is Rachel," the girl said awkwardly. _Do I know this person?_ Blue wondered. _What is going on?_

"It's nice to meet you, I'm-"

"Blue, I know." Rachel interrupted her and bit her lip nervously. _How does she know my name?_ Blue wondered.

"Oh," Blue said, surprised. "Do you need something?"

"Yes, actually," Rachel replied and turned. "Can you tell me about God?" Blue's eyes widened.

"God?"

"Yeah, I, um, heard that you're some kind of Jesus freak and I don't know much about religion and I'm genuinely curious." Rachel explained. "Sorry if that was out-of-the-blue, but I just really want to know. Does He really love me?"

"Yes," Blue smiled. "He loves you enough to die for you."

"R-really?" Rachel's eyes lit up.

"Yes, God loves you so much that He sent His Son to die for you, in your place and He rose from the grave! He died the death we all deserve in order for us to have the right to be called children of God and to walk with Him and to have a relationship with Him. He loved us even when we hated Him and He'd die for you again. He'd die for you alone if that's what it would take to save you. He loves you more than you can imagine." Blue told her.

"S-so, even though I sin and do bad things H-He still loves me?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, He will always love you no matter what," Blue confirmed. Rachel smiled and let out a little chuckle.

"Thank you, I needed to know, after all that's happened. I just needed to know if God loved me." She said and stood.

"You don't have to leave," Blue told her.

"I don't?"

"No, come sit with me and we can talk some more," Blue said. Rachel smiled.

"Thank you."

Moral:

1) Jesus loves you so much! He loves you more than you can imagine and died just to get to know you. He went to that cross willingly to die the death you deserved for your sin and take the horrible punishment that was reserved for you. He took your sin and died your death, but don't lose hope because on the third day, He rose from the dead, victorious over the grave and now we have the same hope for all eternity!

2) We are to show Christ's love to everyone, even strangers. We are to be like light to the people in darkness and lead them to Christ either by our words or actions, but we must always show Christ's love.


	13. Forgiveness

"I'm sorry, Lord." Blue cried. Jesus stood before her in the dream she was having. She never expected to have a dream like this, where she could confess everything and talk to Him face to face. Now, standing before Him, she was bawling with her anguish and regret. She felt like she was the dirtiest person on the face of the earth, like a piece of trash; unwanted and undeserving. She couldn't even look her Lord in the eyes, she felt so guilty. She didn't dare to move either. She imagined His gaze was full of anger and fury. She felt like a child awaiting her father's rebuke. In a way, it was so. She continued, "I'm a sinner, please have mercy on me. I'm a horrible person who's done horrible things. I don't deserve You, but I want You and need You. I don't know how You can even look at me with all my sin and filth. I deserve Your rebuke, but I desire Your mercy and forgiveness. Please forgive me, Lord. I've worshipped another." Blue prayed and fell to her knees. Tears fell like rivers from her cheeks. She felt so small and undeserving as she confessed to the Lord. Jesus didn't say anything, but remained silent as Blue finished her confession. They stayed in the still silence for what Blue thought was an eternity. The silence was far scarier than she imagined. Finally, the Lord bent down and embraced her. Shock gripped her heart as God hugged her. She didn't know what to say, so remained silent, yet the tears still fell. "My child," the Lord spoke, His voice thunderous and commanding. "I forgive you and I love you." Blue's tears multiplied as the Lord showed mercy on her. He forgave her despite all she'd done. He forgave her and He loved her.

Moral: Jesus loves you no matter what you do. He will always forgive you. I know there were many times in my walk if I questioned if He still loved me, or if He would ever forgive me, but the truth is and always will be that He forgives and loves you, no matter what.


	14. Blue's Journal Entry 1

Blue picked up a pen and opened her journal, turning to the next clean page. She wanted to write about God and who He is, and she dreamed that someone would see it someday and be changed. This was the first time she'd ever done anything like this, but after what God showed her, she wanted a way to share her revelations with the world. So she wrote...

Blue's journal entry #1

God: The Author of Life

Have you ever thought about what it was like for God to create everything? Or rather, what it was like for Him to create you? He has shown me through my own love of writing what it's like for God to make the decisions that He does when He creates us. God is truly the author of life, for He decides what happens to us and who we will become. He controls the events in our story as an author decides their character's fate. He loves the people that harm us and do bad in our stories because He created them and knows write their stories as well as ours and He allows these bad things to happen because He has already written the beautiful outcome that can only follow if tragedy strikes. Stories and altogether our lives are like chain reactions. A single tragedy can either bring out the best in us, or the worst in us, but if nothing bad ever happens, our main character will simply never leave the comfort of their homes and never find the courage to face whatever dangers are presented to them and in the end, they would never bring God the glory. Bad things _do_ happen, but if you trust the Author of your story then you know that He will give you the happiest ending that His pen can write. After all, what author doesn't love a happy ending?

Hey there! This is way different from how I've been writing, but I wanted to give this a try simply because I felt like the message I wanted to give didn't exactly fit into a story scenario, so the Lord gave me this idea for presenting it and I think it fits best. He pointed this out to me a while back when I was writing another one of my stories and I was amazed at the revelation. It was really interesting to me how much alike God is to an author. I really wanted to share this because I thought it was super neat and awesome. I hope you were blessed by this message. God bless and Maranatha!


	15. Beauty Out Of Ashes

It had been a hard week for Summer. Her grades were slowly taking a nose dive, her older sister was up to no good with a boy from their school, and her elderly dog was slowly dying, or so it seemed. On top of all of that, pain and terror were constantly reported on the news anymore. Life was hard to live for anyone these days. However, her faith had kept her smiling and believing God would make beauty our of ashes. _Look what He did with Blue,_ she thought, thinking back. _She was a totally different person and He made her into something better. He must be doing the same for us._ It wasn't until days later that Summer found how true this belief was. She arrived home from school like every other day to find her dog acting just like he used to and she found her report card. She kept preparing her mind for what horrors awaited her as she opened it slowly. She gasped when all she saw were B's. Her grades were doing better than they had been and she had been worried about nothing! She turned and looked up at the sky from out of a window. She smiled brightly, _I know that was You, God! Thank You so much!_

Moral: God always takes our broken situations and makes beauty out of ash. He always turns our weeping into dancing and tears into laughter. Just hold on until you see the sunlight! It's coming and it's brighter than it was before!

Hey there! I know this is really short and not very detailed, but it's kind of a teaser, in a way, of my story "Beyond The Blue Sky" and another story I will be starting soon after I finish "Beyond The Blue Sky." Also, I wanted to make a note that I will be rewriting some of "God's Not Dead: Peer Pressure" because I don't like where it's at so early on. Thanks for reading! God bless and Maranatha!


	16. Wasting Time

Blue was dreaming. She knew this because she was in a dark place and she glowed a bright gold. She appeared very holy and pure. She didn't know where she was, but she walked in the darkness fearlessly because she felt the presence of God so close to her. She walked quietly, looking around for anything that may be out on the darkness, but nothing could be found. It was completely empty. "Did He leave you all alone?" A voice sounded from the darkness. Blue stopped, confused. She turned and looked around until her eyes landed on a spirit who glowed brighter than she did. He was absolutely beautiful with long gold hair and pure white eyes. He wore dazzling robes that draped to the floor. Anyone would think he was a messenger from God, but Blue knew it wasn't so. As she stood there, an ominous feeling set in and she felt the Holy Spirit telling her that this was anything, but a messenger of God. She stepped back a little, unsure of what to do. She was surprised to find that she was unafraid, but she figured it was because God was with her. "'My God will never leave me or forsake me,'" Blue replied, quoting scripture. She reminded herself of Ephesians chapter 6 and the armor of God. _And take the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God,_ she remembered. She stood tall and watched the spirit as he began to circle around her. "Where is He, then? I cannot see Him and surely you cannot either so where is He? Has He not been faithful?" The spirit continued.

"I do not need to see God to know He is here 'for we walk by faith, not by sight,'" again Blue quoted the scriptures. The spirit came to a stop in front of her and the two stared at each other, eyes locked. Blue gulped. "That may be so, but what if He isn't real and you've been following Him blindly all these years? What if it's all a lie? Why don't you think for yourself for once?" The spirit came face to face with her. His voice was enticing and hypnotic and very creepy, it made Blue's skin crawl at the sound of it. "Admit it, you're terrified and you know you're alone. You know God doesn't care about you and that He's left you all alone," the spirit got closer to her. "That's why He left you to wander this dream all alone. He has forgotten you." Blue's jaw dropped. _That can't be true,_ she told herself. _He's still here with me, isn't He?_ She gulped and tried to hold steady, but she was shaken when she wasn't able to feel Him any longer. _Where are You Lord? I can't feel You, have You forsaken me? Have You truly forsaken me?_ She began to worry, but tried her best not to show it, but something about the way the spirit grinned evilly made her think that he already knew his lies were sinking in. He stepped back and continued circling her. "He's giving you over to your sin because you've thinned out His grace. You've hit your limit and now you're lost for all eternity. He doesn't want you and doesn't love you any longer. You are just a sinner in His eyes." The spirit continued with the lies. "You are completely abandoned." Blue tried her best not to listen, reminding herself about what the scripture says. It didn't seem to work. She kept trying, even reminding herself of songs she'd heard when finally, God reminded her of just the right song. _Don't even try, you're wasting time._ She stood straight again. Blue turned her gaze to the evil spirit. "Get away from me, Satan, in the name of Jesus Christ!" She ordered him. "Get away from me! I belong to Jesus! You cannot have me! You're just wasting time trying to trip me up. You watched your lies smother me, but now I'm pushing back!" Blue walked closer to him angrily and he started to cower down backing away as she continued. "Don't even try! Jesus has already won! Get out of here and beg God for mercy! I command you to leave this place now in Jesus' name! Leave me now!" She finished. He glared at her.

"This isn't over yet," he grumbled in defeated and disappeared in a cloud of dark red smoke. Blue sighed and fell to her knees, exhausted. She felt a hand grip her shoulder and she turned to see her Lord smiling down at her. "Do you need help?" He asked amusingly. Blue chuckled.

"Yeah," she held up her hand and He held her up, supporting her.

"You have done well. It is so that the battle is not yet over, but it has already been won." He told her. "Your victory belongs to Me."

"Yes, Lord," Blue smiled with exhaustion. "It is only by You that I have the strength to fight."

I wrote this story because I was faced with many spiritual battles a short time ago. I was being bombarded by Satan and it was very scary. He always seems to creep up on us when we're most vulnerable and weak. He always seems to know exactly which seeds of doubt to plant, and his hope is that it will shake our faith and lead us into unbelief. We must stay strong and continue to read the Bible and study what it says. Ephesians 6:10-24 is a very good passage that tells you all about the armor of God and how to be victorious in your battles against evil spirits that seek to trip you up. Let me tell you, spiritual battles will never see an end in this world. Satan will try all he can to deceive even believes into believing what isn't true. He will do anything to get you to turn from God and it doesn't get any better. In fact, the closer you get to God, the more battles you will face, but we have hope in that our faith will be made stronger with every victory and with God by our side, nothing is impossible. So every time Satan tries to deceive you, just smile and remember that when bad things, including spiritual battles, happen, it means that you are doing something right. Satan is only wasting his time, for we will not be shaken!

This story was inspired by the super empowering song "Wasting Time" by RED.

If you ever need help when you're caught in the middle of the battle, I'm here to help you. If doubts cloud your mind to the point that you can't see the light of day, I'll try my best to help you out, just PM me or leave a review and I'll pray for you and help you in any way I can! God bless you all! Maranatha!

Scripture referenced:

Hebrews 13:5

Ephesians 6:17

2 Corinthians 5:7


	17. Barabbas: He Took My Punishment

Barabbas stood before the people, chains holding him down. He stood on a large stage in front of thousands of his peers, but he was not alone. To his side stood another Man, One they called Jesus, a Nazarene.

He'd heard of this Man before. He was some kind of a prophet who healed and it was even rumored that He raised the dead. When Barabbas saw Him standing there, also in chains and covered in blood and sweat, clearly beaten and a crown of thorns on His head, he was horrified. Before even seeing the Man, he thought he'd be the one sent to be crucified, but now seeing what they'd done to Him, Barabbas had a glimmer of hope, remembering the old tradition.

Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, stepped forward and lifted his hand to signal he was about to say something. "According to tradition, around the holiday I am permitted to release to you one prison of your choosing, so which would you have me release to you?" He held his hand out toward Barabbas. "Barabbas, a murder and insurrection leader, or," he held his hand out toward Jesus. "Jesus of Nazareth?"

Barabbas prepared for the worst as the crowd configured who they wanted to release and hung his head low. He knew this was going to be his death, after all he'd done. _This is it, I'm going to die,_ he told himself. _No second chances, no dreams, no hopes, it's all useless to me now, I'm going to die. What a wasted life I've lived, murdering and fighting the government. I could've done so much more. It's all over now, no regrets, only death. I'm going to die._ His heart sank completely and a bitter emptiness sat in. It was all over for him, or so it seemed.

"Give us Barabbas!" The crowd suddenly shouted. Barabbas perked up. They were shouting _his_ name. They wanted _him_ to be released. He looked out across the crowd in confusion as the guards came to uncuff him. The heavy, cold, metal cuffs dropped with a loud clank and his heart leapt with joy as, for the first time in a long time, he felt freedom. _Is this from God? A second chance?_

He started to leave the stage, but when Pilate asked of the crowd what they wanted him to do with Jesus and they demanded He be crucified, he spun around and looked at the Man. Jesus met his eyes. A shiver went down his spine. _What has this Man done to deserve such punishment? I've heard great things of Him. Some even say He's the Messiah. Why would they want to crucify Him? Why would I be released just so He could the death I rightfully deserve?_ As he joined the crowd, he kept his eyes on Jesus. _I deserve to die, this Man doesn't, but for some reason He doesn't fight. Who is He?_ Barabbas didn't understand. Deep in his heart, he knew this had to be from God. Why else would he have been set free?

Moral: You and I are just like Barabbas. We've done wrong things in our life and we know this and we also know we deserve death, but every time we sin, we stand up there on that podium with Jesus and Pilate and every time, Jesus is crucified for your sin on your cross. He took Barabbas' place just as He took yours. There's a very powerful skit on Youtube called Jesus Loves Barabbas (or something along the lines of that) that gives a more in depth look into this topic, but the fact is that Jesus takes your place every time and He does it lovingly and willingly. He loves you so much He's willing to die for you, always remember that!

 **Hey there! I'm sorry to say that I will not be updating this story as much as I used to because I am running out of ideas for short stories, but I will do my best, and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance in this, to continue writing these shorts. Thank you so much for reading and if you have any recommendations or ideas, I'd love to hear them! Thanks for reading! God bless!**

 _Disclaimer: The events presented above are not 100% Biblically accurate! See Matthew 27:15-23 and Luke 23:17-21 for actual events!_


	18. Mercy

Kelsey sat alone at lunch and watched her friends eat and talk and laugh together. Mckenzie was getting her vengeance. Mckenzie and Kelsey had been best friends, but after one fight in particular, Kelsey was done with the fruitless friendship and walked away. Now she watched as her friends sat and ate with her former friend, not moving seats or even making contact with her while Mckenzie was around.

She felt as if someone was piercing her heart with a sharp knife, cutting through her skin and completely tearing her apart. _That used to be mine,_ she thought. Loneliness began to settle in and she felt a twinge of jealousy. She shook it away, telling herself that wasn't something she wanted, but as she stared at the table, her jealousy grew.

 _Why doesn't Jessica, or someone move over here to be with me? Why don't they show Mckenzie they're my friends too?_ She thought back to the text Jessica and Zoey had sent her one night. They both promised to be there for her when she needed them, but as it would seem, those were nothing more than hollow words. _I need them now and they aren't here._ A bitter sadness and jealousy built up inside Kelsey. _Did I do something wrong God? Is that why this is happening?_ She sighed. Her answer came in a whisper that she heard deep within her soul. _No._

Her eyes lit up. _No? Then why is this happening?_ She prayed silently. The answer came in one word: _Mercy._ Kelsey's jaw gaped open. _Mercy,_ she thought. _When someone doesn't get what they deserve, it's called mercy. That's what Christians live by, isn't it? Mercy._

She looked at her old table again. Her friends still continued to talk with her enemy and act as if they were the happiest people in the world. Kelsey smiled. _I understand now, they aren't getting what they deserve and neither am I. I'm taking the place that they should have as Jesus took the place that should've been mine. How can I be upset when knowing I'm trading my happiness for someone else's? That is what mercy is._ She smiled bright, all jealousy leaving her. She wanted to show Mckenzie mercy, even if it meant taking the "punishment" she deserved.

Moral: Have you ever though about what mercy means exactly? A quick search for the definition and you'll find "compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm." Basically, mercy is when someone does not get what they deserve. In our Christian walk we have been shown a great deal of mercy, but have you ever thought about what mercy could mean if you're not getting what you deserve when it's a good thing? The way I see it, God keeps us from some things we see as good because it is less than His best and with that thinking you can see how that could be mercy. In the short above, not only is Kelsey showing mercy by not doing anything crazy (like demanding her friends sit by her, or even throwing some food at Mckenzie(it could happen!)), but Kelsey is being shown mercy. She's alone, yes, but God is giving her His best by having her sit alone. She doesn't get what she deserves, but it's because God has something better in store and she is being super selfless by doing it! It's a huge way to imitate Christ!

 **Hey there! This literally just came from God. It kind of blew my mind when He revealed it to me. I was thinking about a similar situation I was in and God just kind of showed me what mercy really is. It's incredible to me and I hope God speaks to you through this in some way. God bless! Maranatha!**


	19. Fear

Eternity peered over the edge of the wooden tower that held the zip line. She gulped nervously when she saw how far up they were. She looked toward her cabin leader and her cabin mate who sat to her left. They both sat, like she did, holding onto their harnesses and peering over the edge. _I'm so scared right now,_ she thought, her feet dangling over the edge. She had to hold them still because she felt nauseous knowing there was nothing below them. "So what you need to do to take off is simply lean forward," the lady who worked at the zip line told them. "Go when ever you're ready." _Lean forward? is she crazy?_ Eternity stared at the ground. _If I lean forward I'm going to fall off!_ "We can do this," Debbie, her cabin leader, said. "We'll all go at once on three." Eternity looked to her leader. Gina, her cabin mate started the count. "One," she breathed nervously.

"Two," Debbie continued, trying to hide her nervousness.

"Three," Eternity squeaked. She squeezed her eyes closed, leaning forward and falling off the platform. For a split second she thought she was going to die, but when her harness jerked on the line, holding her up, she managed to open her eyes. The wind rushed past her face as she flew, the scenery zipping so quickly it was nothing, but a green blur. Eternity still held on to the harness tightly, but smiled as she zipped along the line. The sound of the metal grip sliding along the line was deafening and drowned out all other sounds, but it was worth it. Eternity relaxed, letting go of her harness and shouted with the adrenaline rush. She felt so free and so alive. She wanted the beautiful moment to last forever. Her ride came to a stop and one of the camp workers helped her down and she descended down a tall ladder that reached up to her. When she reached the ground, she was so exhilarated that she wanted to go again. _Why was I so afraid?_ She wondered. _I wouldn't have died with the line holding me up!_

 **Moral: Have you ever been so afraid that you lost sight of God and His promises? Have you ever exaggerated the danger of something, totally forgetting that you had a safety net to catch you if you fell? I'm sure we all have at some point in our lives. I remember the first time I went zip lining, I felt exactly like Eternity did. I was terrified, but thinking back on it, I don't know why. Sure, the heights are scary, but you're attached to the line at all times. If you fell, the line would catch you. It's true that something could go wrong, but should you fall, you have no reason to fear dying. This is what life is like. We have no reason to fear because God is always there to catch us when we fall, and we have no reason to fear death either because our Savior conquered death! We don't have any reason to fear anything in life, but we are human and it does happen. Just remember that God is always by your side!**


	20. Let Go And Let God

Blue paced back and forth, worry clouding her mind. _Where did I put it?_ Her mind raced. _How I could I have forgotten it?_ She chewed her nails furiously as she tried to remember where she put her gym uniform. She'd checked her backpack several times, looked through the washer and dryer, and even searched through her closet and dresser, but to no avail. She looked at the clock. School would be starting soon and she needed to get to the bus stop. She sighed angrily and grabbed her backpack. She rushed out the door to wait for the bus.

Blue anxiously awaited gym class. She was almost certain she'd taken her gym clothes home over the weekend to get washed, but she hoped against hope that maybe she was wrong. She hurried into the locker room and quickly arrived at her assigned locker. Her heart raced with nervousness as she turned the combination on the lock. With a click, she pulled the lock open and off. She swung the locker door open and gasped when she saw her gym bag. It was still there. _I forgot it over the weekend,_ she told herself with relief. She laughed to herself. I worried over nothing.

Moral: Let go of your worries and let God deal with them. So many times in life, you'll find yourself worried about the future and what may happen, but it almost always ends with the realization that you were worried about nothing. God knows what He's doing. When something is worrying you, pray about it and simply let go. Let God handle it. Do you have any worries that cloud your mind right now? If so, take a moment to pray, let go, and relax. God has a good plan for you, just trust and believe.


	21. Blue's Journal Entry 2

Blue sat and reflected on what happiness truly was and where she found her happiness. She knew exactly what the answer was and picked up a pen, turning to a new page in her journal and began to write:

Blue's journal entry #2

Happiness: The Fruit, Not The Vine

Have you ever heard someone tell you that as long as you're happy, you're right? Or that you should do what makes you happy? Happiness is a topic taken in the wrong context way too often these days. We think that if we're happier we're better off, if we get something we'll be happier, and that altogether life is about being happy. Well, let me be one of the first people to tell you that it's not. Hungry people seem to flock to happiness as if it is the grape vine instead of being the actual grape. The truth is that joy, happiness, ecstasy, whatever you want to call it is simply the fruit of life. In Galatians 5:22 Paul writes "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against these things there is no law." So because joy is a fruit of the Spirit, it cannot be the "vine." The vine is what we need to rely on because if we just have fruit, it will surely run out. What is the vine? The vine is God. Jesus said Himself "I Am the true vine." He also says that we are the branches of this vine. So, instead of chasing after the fruit (joy) start chasing after the vine (Jesus) because He is the source of joy and if you abide in Him, you will be very fruitful.

Hey guys! I honestly could go wayyy deeper with this topic, but I wanted to make this a short lesson. I may write out an actual study on the fruit of the Spirit and in particular, joy later on, but for now you can read this and think on it. We get so caught up in trying to make ourselves happy that when we finally do the thing that we think will make us happy, we're left empty. Just remember that God is the vine! Don't go chasing after fruit! God bless! And I recommend reading the verses listed below!

 _Verses quoted/mentioned:_

 _Galatians 5: 22_

 _John 15: 1-11_


	22. Overlooking Help

Mary stared up at the sight reading projected on the board. She was in her first period choir class and they were preparing for UIL in the next semester. She remembered competing in UIL the year before and was very familiar with the process. She was also pretty good at sight reading, but so far, this year, her sight reading and focus had gone down the drain. Her vowels were no longer tall or proper and she kept forgetting different hand signs when singing solfege. As the teacher counted and they began to sight read the simple looking piece of music. Mary felt confident and was thankful for the solfege being written in on some of the unusually high notes, but she began to mess up on the second line. She stared at a single quarter note thoughtfully, trying to figure out which syllable it was, but she couldn't and just took a guess, singing a random note. Mary blushed when she realized the syllable had been written in below the note. _If I had just looked for the help, I would've gotten it,_ she thought. _Thank God I'm not singing alone._

Moral: Have you ever overlooked something and totally messed up, but realized later that the thing you overlooked was there to help you? I have- I did it this morning! I was in choir and the same thing I just wrote about above happened to me. I knew they wrote the solfege (which for those of you who don't know, solfege is the "Do Re Mi" sort of thing. It's how we sing our scales and learn pitches, kind of like letters on a staff.) in on the notes that we wouldn't know from memory, but for some reason I overlooked it. That's how some people are about God or the Bible. They overlook God thinking that He can't help, or overlook Him without realizing it. Even as Christians, we may overlook the power the Holy Spirit has within us and the things He can do for us. Always look to God for help and you will receive help according to His Will! You never know when it could be exactly what you need!


	23. Sacrifice Part One

It was a very difficult decision to make for Mary, and she just couldn't figure out which way to go with it. Her heart was set on the medical field, but if she really pursued the career that she was so passionate about, she'd have to give up on the art she loved so much.

She loved to sing and choir had been one of the greatest experiences of her middle school life. She was able to continue into her freshman year with choir, but now, looking ahead at her sophomore year, she didn't have the elective space that would allow her to continue in the class.

Mary sighed. "I don't want to give up on this just yet, but the medical field is what is best and it interests me so much," She said to herself, staring at the computer screen with her schedule opened up. "Gosh, who knew this would be so hard," She sighed and looked down at the keyboard. Heart aching, she scrolled over to where she had choir listed in her electives and deleted it, replacing it with "Medical Terminology."

"It's what's for the best," she told herself. "I'm sure I'll learn to enjoy this as much as I did choir."

Moral: I've had to make this decision myself with choosing my elective course and what classes I'd be taking in the future. I, myself, am in choir and I have enjoyed it, but I have also, like Mary, come to the conclusion that it doesn't contribute to my career goal and ultimately had to prioritize and replace choir with something that would help me further my writing. It wasn't really that hard of a choice considering I'm really bored with choir at the moment (I'll admit though, I'm really gonna miss those elegant and modest choir dresses...), but I know for someone else it would be a pretty difficult decision. Prioritizing is hard.

Now, Blue, what does this have to do with God?

Well, have you ever had to give something up for your faith? Even something small, a bad habit? Maybe the type of music you listened to? Well, I've been faced with this sort of situation recently where I had to choose between giving up God or giving up something that was distracting me from Him. It is hard to prioritize when you have to choose between things you love, but if you find yourself unwilling to give something up then you may be guilty of idol worship. This is hard to deal with, but you have to prioritize. Which is more important God or your dog? God or anime? God or your favorite book series?

These are all smaller examples, but God will value even these small sacrifices. Make sure to check your heart and remember that God should be your main priority.

* * *

 **Ok, so, I just wanted to let you guys know about my writing schedule for this year. I will focus on one story at a time and (hopefully) finish one story every month. This, of course, does not include Walk By Faith, Prayers, and The Tears Of God, but it will be a little while before I post a new Bible fanfic depending on how everything works out. I am bringing this story back and hopefully God will provide for me things to write about. Anyways, God bless!**


	24. Time Management

Kelsey was finding it difficult to balance her schedule anymore. High school took up so much of her time- homework, studying, and everything else she was committed to seemed to pile up and give her no time to just relax. Worst of all, she was finding it difficult to balance time with God in as well. She was new to the faith and needed to get to know Him better, but it was so hard during the school year. It seemed as if she had no time to even sleep anymore.

As she lay in bed at night, her mind couldn't find rest and was too focused on everything that she needed to do and needed to remember. _I don't know how I'll get everything done,_ she thought. _There's never enough hours in a day._ She sighed and turned to look out her bed room window. _Lord, can you take this from me? There's so much I need to do and so much weight being placed on my shoulders. Lord, please help me to do the things I need to do, but give me some time with You._ She prayed. It seemed that only seconds later, a weight was lifted off her and she felt more relaxed. She laid it all on Jesus and found peace in the middle of the storm.

Moral: you cannot add an hour or take an hour from the day. Give your worries and plans to Jesus and He'll give you peace in the middle of the storm. Also, learn to manage your time wisely. I'm faced with this same situation to where I have lots of things I need to get done, but I gave it over to Jesus and He calmed my worries. It is really hard to manage your time especially if you get distracted easily or if you don't want to do something, but you know you have to. Sometimes you just have to do it, but give it to Jesus and everything will be ok.

 **I wanted this to be mainly about time management, but why not throw in a few other lessons? Please make sure to let me know if I repeat any lessons because I'm worried I'm going to, but thanks for reading! God bless! :)**


	25. Sacrifice Part Two

"What are you? Some kind of Bible-thumping Jesus freak?" Mckenzie laughed and scoffed. Kelsey sighed and just kept walking, thoughts on her next class. She tried her best to ignore the taunts that came her way, but there were times that they got under her skin and she just wanted to disappear. "Aren't you going to say something? Or are you being 'Christ-like' with the whole 'silent like a lamb before slaughter' crap?" Mckenzie went on. "You're no better than anyone else, so stop pretending."

"But I wasn't-"

"You think you're so high and mighty just because you believe in God! Well guess what? Only idiots believe in God. You're just being ignorant and ignoring all the evidence that proves God doesn't exist." Mckenzie spat. Kelsey stopped. "Why even believe in God? What, does it make you feel better knowing that the only person that would ever be your friend is Jesus and His weak followers because He told them to? God, you're such a loser!" Kelsey's jaw dropped, her throat tightening. She forced her feet to keep moving and to hurry faster, wanting to escape the situation as quick as she could. _God has to be real!_ She thought. _So what if I haven't looked at the evidence? It's all probably lies anyways!_

As the day went on, Kelsey couldn't shake the horrible memory. _Does it make you feel better knowing the only person that would be your friend is Jesus? Why even believe in God? You're just ignoring the evidence that proves God doesn't exist._ Kelsey sat against her bed room wall, heart aching with the thoughts. _What if she's right?_ She wondered. Vision becoming blurry with tears, she weeped. _Why don't I just give up? This has been going on for weeks now! I'm so tired of it! What is it even worth?_ She thought about what life would be like if she _did_ give up on faith. She imagined herself cursing and laughing at others, gossiping and slandering. It wasn't a pretty picture. But then, she wondered how it would feel to be without God. She wouldn't have anyone to go to and plead for the best to. She wouldn't have anyone to comfort her when she needed Him. She would have to totally forget Him. But how could she when she couldn't go a day without thinking about Him? _I won't give up,_ she decided. _He never gave up on me, so I'll never give up on Him!_

I'm going to leave this open for the Spirit to speak to each of you individually through this. There's a lot you can take from it.

Message to the guest reviewer who requested this lesson:

Hello there! I was so moved by your request and there's so much I'd like to tell you about this topic. I haven't experienced much with being persecuted, myself, but there have been times when I've been made fun of for it or judged for being Christian. I'm hear to pray for you and I'm also hear to give you some good news. Whenever persecution arises, don't take it as a bad thing or a sign that you're doing something wrong because it is the exact opposite. When persecution arises, it is the devil fighting back with all he's got because you've moved on the offensive. Don't ever give up the fight. The devil is going to throw all he's got at you, but you hold strong and show him he can't touch you because you have God on your side. I've dealt with a lot more doubt than I have with persecution, but one thing that keeps me going is knowing that perseverance produces great fruit and that God never gave up on me. I hope this has helped you in some way and I'd love if you could get back to me and update me if the situation changes. For now, you're in my prayers. God bless!

 _Disclaimer: I don't mean to stereotype or slander unbelievers by Mckenzie's behavior. It was only for the purpose of the story and unbelievers can be very kind as well!_


	26. For ADedicatedReader

Kelsey slumped back against the wall and slid down the floor of her bed room. Her eyes watered with tears already beginning to spill over. "God," She prayed. "I don't understand why all this is happening, but it's hurts so much." Kelsey had been enduring teasing and jeering from her classmates for the past week. They had gotten worse than usual since her dramatic fight with McKenzie. On top of that, she was having a hard time focusing in school and she was questioing everything. She had become a Christian recently and was already having a hard time with it. Also, her parents had begun fighting. Her mom wanted them all to start going to church, but her dad argued that he wanted he and Kelsey to be "free-thinkers" and decide for themselves wether God existed or not.

Her heart was so heavy as she sat praying and sobbing. "I just want to know why this all has to happen to me," Kelsey went on. "Why me?" Why not you? The thought came to her as a tiny whisper, almost unnoticeable underneath the weight of her sorrow.

She stopped. Why not me? She thought. She glanced up at the window on the opposite wall and stood, making her way to the window. Outside she could see kids running around in the streets and even a little boy playing basketball with his dad. They all smiled and laughed and enjoyed themselves. Their worlds seemed perfect compared to hers. I'd hate to see them in this situation, she thought. I guess it's better for me to suffer than to see them suffer. I guess it's better for me to carry this weight than for them.

Dear ADedicatedReader,

Your request moved me greatly. I am incredibly sorry that you have to carry such a weight and that you are faced with so much. I may not have the best words or advice, but allow me to take a step back and let God take the wheel. He knows what's best and it's hard to believe, but He knows what He's doing even in the times we suffer.

Suffering is a funny thing to a believer. We see suffering so differently than the rest of the world and I believe Romans 5:3-5 spells it out best; "Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us." I know it's hard to see it now, but I know from my own experiences that suffering and hardship are great times for Spiritual growth. It's very difficult to fight in a war once you're weary and exhausted, but the soldier who endures to the end is the one who wins.

I believe God has an amazing plan for you. I'm sure you get that a lot, but it's true. I find it so crazy that Jeremiah 29:11 was written in the context of suffering. God spoke to Israel and told them that He knew what great things He had in store for them while they were being exiled into Babylon. I think it's absolutely beautiful that He would step in right at that moment and assure them that everything would be ok and take my message as a way for God to say the same for you. He knows what He is doing.

I enjoy looking up Christian quotes wether they are in the Bible or not and one of my favorites says "God gives His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers." I believe this is true. I don't believe He would give you too much for you to take, but just enough so that you'll turn to Him in your time of need and let Him carry the weight. He will give you more than you can take, but just enough for you to see Him. Remember that it's in the darkest that the light shines brightest.

God hears your cries, I can tell you that. Lay down before Him the things you wish for and the family you long for. Keep praying for it and it will come. I don't believe God wants you to simply 'exist', but to thrive. You were made for so much more and whatever you do, as long as you do it to God's glory, it will be fruitful. I guess the best advice I can offer you is to find a way to implement the Gospel into everything you do, even if it's constantly for others. I don't really know what else to say.

Now, about the short story above. What I'm trying to say with it is that God gives us suffering for a reason, it's never an accident. This kind of all ties in to what I've already said, but God really does know what He's doing. I'm telling you this while my own mom is job searching obsessively since getting laid off and getting hired at a job that pays her barely enough to get by for a month. None of us are free from suffering and we're all going to face hardships at times. I don't know if anything I've said can truly help, but I pray that where my words fail, God may speak. You're in my prayers and I'd like to hear back from you. God bless you and I hope that things start to get better. I'm here if you ever need someone to just vent to.


	27. Spreading His Word

It was a split second decision, asking to talk to Rachel, but Mary couldn't just ignore the tug she felt in her heart. The girl with the light strawberry-blind hair sat beside her on one of the stone benches outside Woodson Jr High. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" She asked quizzically.

Mary tried her best to calm her racing heart as she opened her mouth to speak. "I-I was just wandering if," she stammered. "I mean, you know my friend Blue, right?"

"Yeah," Rachel nodded.

"Well, she and I are both really religious and I, uh, guess I just wanted to know what you think of God?" She finally said. _Smooth,_ she thought.

"What I think of God?" Rachel repeated. "I don't really know much about Him."

"Do you believe in Him?" Mary asked.

"I don't really know," she answered honestly. "I guess maybe if I understood Him more than maybe I would."

"D-do you want to know more about Him?" _Here's my chance._ "I could tell you about Him."

"Really?" Her brown eyes sparkled. "Sure, that would be great!"

Mary heaved a sigh. _Thank God._

* * *

Well, it's been a while guys, but I am still going with these stories. I've had a lot going on this year and I just haven't been inspired or motivated to write these. I've been fighting spiritual battles left and right, but as of lately, God has laid something upon my heart. I've probably written about this before and forgive me if I have, but it's so important. In fact, it's so important that it was the last thing Jesus commanded of us. And that is evangelism, spreading the faith to every nation, ear, tongue, and tribe.

I know from my own personal experience how difficult it is to tell someone about Jesus. So many things go through your mind and you worry about whether or not it will even make a difference. But in the world we live in today, that shouldn't stop us. This world is evil and now, more than ever, we need people proclaiming God's Name and His eternal Glory.

I pray that all of you seriously think about this, I know I have. I've been thinking of ways that I can do it with everything I have and everything I do. This is the reason why we are here, isn't it?

I'd love to hear about your experiences with telling people about Jesus. Please leave a review telling me about ways God has used you. Also if you have any unique and creative ideas about how to spread the Gospel, I'd love to hear it. God bless y'all and I hope to update this again soon!


	28. Jealousy

Blue sighed as she stared at herself in the full-body mirror. Her dress was long, classy, and professional. It complemented her baby face quite well and flattered her tiny torso. That was the reason why she bought it- it was perfect, in essence, but worries still flowed through her mind. Did she look pretty enough? Would she dazzle her date enough that his eyes would not wander from her? Would she finally feel like a princess like in one of those Disney movies? _That stupid,_ she shook the thought away. _Those are just fairy tales. Stuff like that doesn't really happen._ She sighed. _But I wish it would._

She finished dressing herself and hurried down stairs. Her friends arrived a few minutes later. They all decided to carpool together. "Blue, you look so pretty!" Summer cooed. Summer wore a cute pastel pink party dress with pink high-tops. Beside her was Leah, dressed in a mature, long sleeved gown that fit tightly all the way to her knees. Mary stood next to her wearing a green party dress with a black cardigan and black flats. Lastly, Eternity wore a lacy black dress with rose patterns in the sheer sleeves.

"Thank you!" She said. "You all look so beautiful!"

"Let's go wow the crowds, then" Mary said, hooking arms with Blue. They started towards the car, but as they walked, she eyed Leah's dress with a twinge of jealous. _That's really pretty,_ she thought. _Why did I have to go with something so weird? Why did I have to go with such an odd dress?_ She frowned. Jealous rose up inside her like a volcano soon to erupt. _I knew I didn't look pretty enough. I knew I never would._

* * *

This is a pretty personal piece for me. My school's spring dance is coming up soon and I had my own worries about the dress I was going to wear as well. Sure, it fit my personal and me in general pretty well, but I still don't know what my date is going to think. I've been jealous a lot lately too. For many reasons. Jealousy is a hard thing to deal with, but as I was dealing with it today, I was praying and God kind of reminded me why I shouldn't be jealous. It's pretty crazy how simple it was but He simply reminded me that He chose me. When we're jealous, we want something that isn't ours, but God is definitely ours. We forget who we are and what we offer as an individual. Sure in my example, I used a dress, but Blue felt she wasn't pretty enough because of it. This kind of ruins her individuality. God loves diversity, however. That's why we are all so different. To me, the best way to destroy jealousy is through recognizing who you are individually and remembering your uniqueness. There isn't anyone out there who is exactly like you and there never will be.

Also a message for ADedicatedReader:

Hey there! I'm glad to hear from you again. I'm sorry if my last message to you wasn't what you were hoping for or didn't help you out very well. I'm trying. And I do use that strategy as well. I know it's really hard and especially when you live as a sheep amongst wolves, but God has His hand over the sheep. It gives me a little courage, but I understand it's different for you. Sometimes, though, our actions alone can prove to be the best for planting the seeds of faith. After all who wants to hear a hypocrite preach or a thief tell you how to live? How are things btw? I hope you're well. God bless you!


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